Journal Day 7: June 13th

Journal Day 7: June 13^th

What did we do today?

v Got ready

v Got on bus, went to YuYuan Gardens

v Went to the markets outside of the Gardens

v Took the bus to the Jade Buddha Temple (oldest coy fish there: 158 years old!)

v Lunch (I’m finally getting more acclimated to the food!)

v Shopping on Nanjing Street (I got a dress and a purse… I’m getting better at haggling too!)

v Dinner (desert: dough-ball with sesame seeds on the outside; the inside is like a sticky rice gelatin type thing?)

v Lots of free time tonight… so we had a party!! (Went to Jacy’s room… we played games, and ate fruit we got from the market. We had 12 people in the tiny, paper walled hotel room J It was a lot of fun!!)

Prompt: Talk about Gardens + Temple (culture), talk about Bartering being a part of the culture, what did we do today?

We saw a lot of culture today. At the YuYuan Gardens, we saw the development of Chinese architecture. The buildings were beautiful and in the ancient style à which I love! We got to see how the ancient Chinese culture is still a part of its present culture. Everywhere you looked in the Gardens there were intricate carvings and beautiful flowers. Mirroring other aspects of the Chinese culture, everything in the Gardens had a meaning; each carving, every building. Etc. The meanings for why this building is here, that pond is there, why and where the tunnels lead, the mythical creatures depicted, are all intertwined with the culture of China.

The Jade Buddha Temple was the same way; intricate and full of meaning. Even just how the Jade Buddhas got there shows a lot about the development of Shanghai. The man who had them made had traveled on the Silk Road, and landed in Shanghai, China. He wanted to take them back to Europe with him, but they were too large and heavy to place on a boat. As a result he decided to leave them behind, donating them to the city. Ever since then, the Buddhas have become a cultural and religious piece in the history belonging to the city.

Bartering is also a huge piece of China’s culture. Every non-Western store, shop, or vender haggles to try and get the largest amount of money out of people. All of these shop owners make a living out of selling their products. As a result, like any good business owner, they want to make the most money they possibly can. On the other hand, many department stores are government owned. The workers there are going to earn the same amount of money no matter how much they sell. Their income doesn’t depend on haggling. Often people in department stores do not barter for things, and will not lower their prices, unless they really want to sell their product to you (ex: need to make a quota). Bartering is an interesting branch of the culture here. It has become a daily operation for the people living in China. Since Shanghai is a port city, trading and haggling are essential to the city.

We did a lot of shopping at markets today. It was a lot of fun! When I walked into this one store I was looking for a dress… just looking… and I found this one that I liked. And before I knew it the lady was bargaining with me. You have to make quick decisions in markets because the venders there deal with tourists every day, and are very good at making quick sales and making sure you get ripped off. So anyway I started haggling for this silk dress (I had her prove it was real silk… I think its European). The lady asked for 850 Yuan at first. And I was like, “No. 50.” “Ha! Ha! What? Girl you must be joking. This dress real silk. Good buy. Best quality. Your price impossible.” (It’s funny and insulting when they laugh at your original price) So we haggled some more; back and forth, the price up and down. Finally I told her “100. Final offer.” She said no, so I started walking away. Then… “Okay… Girl! Girl! 250! 220! 150! Girl! 120! Alright fine! 100!” (Yes! Ha! Ha!) So I bought it for 100 Yuan. When I left the lady was really mad, which made me happy because I know I got a good deal. Haggling is such a rush! J

(When I got home I looked it up… a similar dress here costs $155 to $295 U.S. dollars! I got it for about $16!!)

Some people in our group got really good at haggling… I still need some practice but I thought today was pretty amazing!